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NI NewsletterReg Charity No 249338 Summer 2015
Inaugural World Birth Defects Day
Shines Cathy McKillop presented information about spina bifida
and Martine Austin, our Head of Prevention, presented on the
importance of Folic acid.
The event was opened by Gerard Guckian Chair of the Western
Health and Social Care Trust and in his address he mentioned the
importance of folic acid, which when taken at least three months
before conception until at least the first three months of
pregnancy, can greatly reduce the risk of Neural Tube Defects.
This was a great opportunity to speak
at an event which was attended by health care professionals,
patients/
clients, carers and researchers.Cathy McKillop
On the evening before, an event was held for Shine members in
the Westville Hotel in Enniskillen. Marie McGonnell and Martine
Austin spoke at this event.
Shine NI PO Box 132, Cushendall BT44 0WAE:
[email protected] T: 01733 555988 W:
shinecharity.org.uk
The First World Birth Defects Day was marked in Northern Ireland
by a joint event with Rare Diseases Day. The event took place in
the Lough Erne Resort in Enniskillen.
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Changes in SEN
Some attention has been paid to this submission and those
presented by other organisations, which support children and young
people with disabilities, with specific reference to their access
to education.
The Bill, called The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
Bill, has processed through the Assembly and the Education Minister
has presented it to the Education Committee, who are currently
scrutinizing its contents.
Along with representatives from several other voluntary
organisations in the Children with Disabilities Strategic Alliance,
I presented our concerns about some of the inclusions in the Bill
to the Education Committee on 24th May 2015.
It is expected that the Bill will become law in 2016-2017 and as
such will change how the support and resourcing of children and
young people with disabilities in education is processed and
resourced.
However when it is finally ratified, I will ensure you are fully
informed about its implications and how you can best advocate on
behalf of the child or young person in your care, with support and
information from Shine.
In the meantime, it is vitally important that all current
Statements of Special Educational Need, and the Statutory
Assessment Process which facilitates them being drafted, are
rigorously enforced.
Please consult me by phone or email as detailed below, to ensure
that the content of your child or young persons Statement of
Special Educational Needs is specific to their individual needs,
with the hours of adult assistance quantified and the type of
assistance specified.
If you have any other queries about Annual Reviews or how to
complete the Parental Advice for either Annual Review or Statutory
Assessment (and it is crucial that you do) please contact me
also.
Most concerns can be dealt with by phone or email easily. If
addressed early this can save a lot of worry and concern for
parents who are anxious to ensure that their child or young person
has access to educational provision and support on a par with their
peers, who are not dealing with challenging medical, physical or
cognitive conditions such as spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus.
No concern is too small, so lift the phone or send me an
email.
Catherine McCurryEducation Adviser Shine NIT: 07789616486E:
[email protected]
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Sometime ago the Department of Education and the Northern
Ireland Assembly conducted a review of Special Educational Needs
(SEN). All stakeholders were consulted and on behalf of Shine and
our service users, I submitted a detailed response outlining
concerns about the proposed changes.
If addressed early this can save a lot of worry and concern for
parents who are anxious to ensure that their child or young person
has access to educational provision and support...
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Thirty for 30It is hard to think that we are nearly halfway
through the year already which also means I am halfway through
Lisas Thirty for 30 my year of fundraising for Shine celebrating my
impending 30th birthday.
The principle seemed simple, thirty events in 365 days, raising
awareness of Shine and a financial target of 1,000 to support their
work especially here in Northern Ireland. So where am I at with it
all?
Well, to date, six events are either ongoing or completed,
including a raffle, a Reada30, Antrim to Peterborough Trek, a treat
lunch for the staff of a local primary school, a Wear Yellow and
Shine day by a local Grammar school, a supermarket collection and a
ladies cinema night. Many more activities are in the early planning
stages and contact with the various people and organisations has
yet to be completed.
You may be asking at this point how can I get involved? There
are several things you could do. Do you enjoy reading? Then why not
take part in our Reada30, in which you pledge to read for 30 hours
and ask your friends and family to make a small donation? Not for
you? Well, maybe you enjoy walking? Then why not take part in the
Antrim to Peterborough Trek, pledge a number of miles and ask
people to sponsor you and help us to reach a total of 800 miles the
distance between Antrim to Peterborough and back. Maybe these
activities seem too much like a chore? I have the perfect idea for
you; invite a group of friends round and have a dessert night
enjoying the company of good friends and lots of yummy
desserts!
We have already exceeded my financial goal for the year so lets
just see how far we can go and have some fun while we are at
it!
To get involved, please contact me on C
facebook.com/groups/lisas30for30
Lisa Law
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...why not take part in the Antrim to Peterborough Trek, pledge
a number of miles and ask people to sponsor you and help us to
reach a total of 800 miles the distance between Antrim to
Peterborough and back.
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Thank you Shine Fundraisers Dairy farmers choose Shine as
charity of the yearThe South Antrim Dairy Farmers nominated Shine
as their Charity of the year. They held an event and raised an
amazing 4,255! The cheque was presented by the treasurer, John
Miller, to Ben Shanks, whose family had nominated Shine to be the
Charity of the year.
Corbins Family Event Jim Jameson held a coffee morning, fun walk
and evening event for Shine and raised 2,140.
Changes to the NI teamDue to reductions in our funding we have
had two redundancies in Northern Ireland. Irene Kean had been part
of Shine for a number of years and had covered the Belfast area. We
thank Irene for all her service to our Members. Sheila McCarney who
covered the Western Trust has also left Shine. Many of our adults
will have met Sheila at the Mind Your Head events which were held
across Northern Ireland. We wish Irene and Sheila all the best in
the future.
We have also had to reduce the hours of some of our remaining
staff. This has meant that we have had to review how our service
works. Where possible we will use telephone/email or skype/facetime
to make contact. We will also ask, where possible, that meetings
can be arranged in more central areas, to help minimise staff
travel time. Please bear with us as we go through this process.
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Future Events...Outing to the ZooFancy a day out? Like animals?
Why not join us for a day trip to the Zoo? Wednesday 12th August,
10.30am. For further details, contact Dolores Black or Pamela
Dickey (see the side panel for their details.)
Parents Support GroupsWe hold parents support groups every three
months in Antrim, Belfast, Bangor, and Lurgan. For further
information, please contact Dolores Black or Pamela Dickey (see the
side panel for their details).
Changes to contact details As many of you will be aware landline
numbers are no longer in use, so please contact staff on their
mobile numbers or by email on the following:
Cathy McKillop, NI Director ShineE:
[email protected] T: 07762 574861Dolores BlackE:
[email protected] T: 07816 966866Catherine McCurry,
Education AdviserE: [email protected] T: 07789
616486 Marie McGonnell, Health AdviserE:
[email protected] T: 07789 616420Janet Davidson
E: [email protected] T: 07764 969747 Pamela Dickey
E: [email protected]: 07816 966863
Postal Address: Shine Northern Ireland, PO Box 132, Cushendall
BT44 OWA
If you havent already joined us on facebook, like us today at C
facebook.com/ShineNorthernIreland
John Miller, Ben Shanks, and Cathy McKillop
